Chasing The Rogue
by Karen11
Summary: Marie Lehnsherr – the President's daughter, is tired of being followed by Secret Service agents so while on a diplomatic trip to Europe, she runs away from her bodyguards.
1. Datus Interruptus

Title: Chasing The Rogue

Author: Karen

Rating: PG

Universe: AU

Disclaimer: The X-Men belong to Fox & Marvel. *sad panda*

Summary: Marie Lehnsherr – the President's daughter, is tired of being followed by Secret Service agents so while on a diplomatic trip to Europe, she runs away from her bodyguards.

Thanks and air kisses to my fabulous betas ~ Taryn and Kendra.

Publication Date: July 2012

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Chapter One: Datus Interruptus

Like any typical teenager getting ready for a date, Marie had half a dozen outfit combinations strewn across her bed. Except she was no ordinary teenager – she was the daughter of President Erik Lehnsherr and her bedroom was in the private wing of the White House.

While she was getting dressed her date was going through security at the south gate. By the time he finally pulled up to the main entrance he was already questioning his decision to ask her out. Suddenly, Marie came charging out of the door and jumped into the car.

"Drive," she commanded as she fastened her seatbelt.

"Shouldn't I meet your mom and dad?" Warren asked – knowing most parents would want to give their daughter's new boyfriend the third degree and figuring that he might as well get it over with.

She gave him a horrified look – wondering why he'd willingly subject himself to an interrogation. Noting her expression, he merely said, "Okay then." as he started back down the driveway. Two black SUVs followed them.

"God damn it!" Marie exclaimed. She was far too irritated to even make the effort to fake 'first date manners'.

"Should I try to lose them?" Warren offered eagerly – suddenly envisioning himself as the hero in an action movie – engaging in a dangerous chase through the crowded city streets and skillfully escaping from the bad guys. He pushed down on the accelerator and the car lunged forward.

When Marie just laughed at his suggestion, he eased off the gas and reluctantly abandoned the idea of attempting to outrun them.

At the restaurant they tried to have a nice peaceful dinner but they kept getting interrupted by people stopping by their table to say "hello" to Marie – who noticed the additional Secret Service stationed throughout the room. Once again her father had broken his promise to reduce her bodyguard detail to just a couple of discreet agents.

Later at the valet stand someone approached the young couple and requested a photo with Marie. When he reached into his pocket six men in dark suits pounced on him. They wrestled him to the ground and relieved him of his 'weapon' – only to discover it was just a harmless camera. When the valet pulled up with the car, Warren told Marie that he couldn't deal with her 'babysitters' and suggested that she return home with them.

While she understood his frustration, she also couldn't believe that he'd dumped her so callously and then humiliatingly just left her standing on the curb. On the ride back her anger mounted the closer they got to the White House.

Bursting into the Oval Office she began yelling at her father.

"At this rate, I'll never get past first base!" She screamed in frustration. He just stood there silently. It was at that moment she realized he was not alone in his office. Several foreign dignitaries were seated on the couches in the center of the room. One of them looked amused, but the other three just seemed embarrassed to be witnessing the teenager's outburst.

"Oh," Marie said in mortification as she slowly backed out of the room.

"Teenagers," she heard her father say simply as she closed the door.

The next morning at breakfast, after being lectured by her father about proper etiquette within the most important home in the country, Marie had her chance to lodge yet another complaint about the ever-present security presence in her life.

"It's for your own safety. You know that," her mother Raven reminded her.

"But, mom," Marie whined, "we agreed … only two bodyguards. Last night I counted at least twelve of them."

"After the incident with Creed, we need to make sure that you have back up," Erik stated.

The incident he was referring to was still fresh in Marie's mind. She'd tried to shake her bodyguard – Victor Creed – by using her mutation to knock him out and slip away. From then on she'd been guarded by at least two people at all times. But recently her father had added an entire contingent of agents and she felt suffocated by all the extra security. Except for a couple of loyal friends, most of her schoolmates had abandoned her – tired of being constantly watched by the people in dark suits. So while gaining control of her mutation had given her a long-awaited modicum of freedom, she was now obsequiously trapped in a different kind of prison. At this point the end results were the same – her social life was practically nonexistent.

"I'm going to college in the fall, I'm not a child anymore," she reminded them.

"First of all, there was nothing magical about you turning eighteen last month. If you want to be treated like an adult, then I suggest you act like one," Erik responded.

"He has a point," Raven offered.

Marie didn't know how to reply to that because she knew her father was right. If she wanted them to respect her, then she had to behave like an adult and not a spoiled, entitled child.

Her mother had always been her biggest champion, but even she had limits on what was acceptable behavior for the First Daughter. Marie's tendency to push those boundaries necessitated occasional reminders of her current status. As Erik was halfway through his second term, by this point they should've all been familiar and accepting of their responsibilities to the people he represented. Raven was beginning to be as irritated with her daughter's petulance as her husband had already become. The more Marie acted out, the less she was willing to constantly defend her. The latest stunt was dying her beautiful chocolate brown and platinum-streaked hair. She'd always hated the wisps of platinum that framed her face. They were the result of a childhood trauma that she'd somehow forgotten, but it was still a constant reminder nonetheless. So, in what was supposed to be an act of defiance, she'd covered over the dull brown and almost white stripes with a sunnier blonde color. Instead of being angry, as Marie had expected, Raven was delighted that her daughter looked more like the blonde form she herself used most often.

Not wishing to engage in yet another pointless debate that inevitably wouldn't resolve anything, Erik decided to change the subject and outlined the schedule for their upcoming diplomatic visit to Prague.

"After the State Dinner, I'd like a night of freedom to go out with Kitty," Marie requested – hoping that by phrasing it that way, instead of as a demand, her father would acquiesce.

Kathryn Pryde, the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to Prague was a sweet and sensible girl, so Raven said, "I think that would be okay, Erik."

"Fine," Erik consented, but then added a condition. "But you still have to have four agents with you."

"Two," Marie bargained.

Raven nodded at her husband who caved. "Okay … two," he agreed in defeat.

"Thanks, mom," Marie told her mother as she leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before bouncing out of the room.

"I hope we're not making a mistake," Erik told his wife.

"Don't worry, darling, I have a plan," she replied with a knowing smile.

"Are you going to change form and secretly follow her?"

"You know that I've never been able to fool her," she reminded him – then reassuringly added. "I have something far less obvious in mind."


	2. The Great Escape

Chapter Two: The Great Escape

Air Force One arrived safely in Prague and the next day the Lehnsherrs' proceed to attend several different functions as representatives of the United States. As promised, Marie cooperated and put on a happy face – smiling and waving to the crowds gathered at each event. She only had to make it through the formal reception at the Embassy and then she'd be free to go out with Kitty.

Even though the dinner seemed to drag on forever, by 10 p.m. she and Kitty finally managed to get away. They changed into jeans and crystal-encrusted tops more appropriate for a nightclub and slipped out a side door – accompanied by only two Secret Service agents.

"Where are we heading?" Scott Summers inquired as they piled into a black SUV.

"A club," Kitty informed him. "You may want to lose the jacket and tie and unbutton your shirt."

"We're on duty," the other agent, Jean Grey, reminded them. She was dressed just as severely in a dark suit and white blouse.

"You're not actually coming into the club with us?" Marie asked – blanching at the prospect of the two bodyguards trailing after them.

"Of course. It's our jobs to shadow you," Jean replied – a bit more sharply than was probably necessary. Unlike some of the other agents, she wasn't amused by Marie's constant antics. She took her job very seriously and didn't appreciate what she felt was disrespect for their duties. Initially she'd been assigned to the First Lady's security detail and was happy guarding such an elegant and classy woman. Being transferred to her current position felt like a demotion and her resentment tended to leak through when dealing with Marie – especially when the teenager was acting petulant.

Kitty shrugged in resignation while Marie slumped further down into her seat and folded her arms in frustration. Meanwhile she was already formulating a plan to ditch the two agents.

Once they were in the club and Jean was distracted getting them drinks at the bar – stubbornly insisting on non-alcoholic versions, despite the drinking age in Europe being eighteen – Marie pulled Kitty toward the ladies' room. When it seemed as if Scott was going to follow them in, she had to place her hand against his chest and give him a gentle shove.

"Oh … sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'll just wait out here."

Five minutes later he was still standing in the hallway where Jean found him leaning against the wall.

"You do realize there's always a line at the ladies' because you girls take so damn long in there," he told her with a smile. As one of the newest and youngest agents, he wasn't quiet as stiff and formal as some of the others guarding the First Family.

Jean shoved the four drinks at him and charged into the restroom. Less than a minute later she was back out. "They went out the window. Nice job watching them," she snapped as she headed toward the main exit. She was mentally chastising herself for not keeping a psychic 'ear' on Marie and monitoring her thoughts. Even though the President had made it clear that Jean's gift was one of the reasons he'd assigned her to his daughter, she still had a hard time prying into people's heads without their permission. And now this respect for Marie's privacy was going to cause her a major problem with their boss.

After handing the drinks off to a random club patron, Scott chased after her.

"What was I supposed to do … follow them in there?" he asked as he caught up to his partner.

Jean knew he couldn't have done that and wanted to kick herself for not sending him to get the drinks so that she could've stayed with the girls. Now they had a head start and could be lord knows where by now. They had to find them and quickly – before anyone else discovered they'd let themselves be fooled so easily. She was cursing under her breath as she looked down the street in both directions and failed to see their assignment anywhere in sight.

Just then Scott announced, "There they are!"

Jean turned and saw Marie jump on the back of a motorcycle that had stopped at a traffic light. When the signal changed to green, the bike took off and she waved good-bye to Kitty. By the time Scott and Jean made it down to that end of the street the bike and its extra passenger were too far away for them to pursue any further on foot.

"Damn it!" Jean exclaimed as she watched the bike – and Marie disappear from view.

"Now what?" Scott asked – even though he already knew the answer.

Reluctantly, Jean pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket, dialed a number and using Marie's code name, reported to the person who answered, "We've lost Rogue."

A few miles away the motorcycle came to a stop at another traffic light and Marie climbed off.

"Thanks," she told the driver as she finally saw his face which was whiskered with more than just a few days stubble, but wasn't quite a full beard either. Even in the diminished light of the low-wattage street lamp she could see that his eyes were hazel. And despite the general wildness of his appearance – or maybe even because of it – he was probably the best-looking man she'd ever seen.

Running his hand through his dark, windblown hair, he fixed her with a glare that should've frightened her, but somehow didn't. "So, you wanna tell me what that was about?" he asked – referring to the two people who were apparently in pursuit of his brazen hitchhiker.

"Kidnappers," she replied.

She was gorgeous and he didn't want to scare her, but he couldn't resist teasing her just a little. "Really? And how do you know I'm not even worse?" he asked – trying to hide his amusement.

Marie's face dropped as it hit her that she hadn't considered the possible consequences of jumping onto the back of a stranger's bike. Noticing the dog tag around his neck, she decided to change the subject and pointing a finger at the sliver of metal – asked, "Does that mean you're in the army?"

He responded slowly, "I was … a long time ago."

"What kind of name is Wolverine?"

"My name's Logan," he answered.

"Marie."


	3. The Hitchhiker's Guide To Prague

Chapter Three: The Hitchhiker's Guide To Prague

When Scott and Jean reported back to the President, they were both surprised that he wasn't furious with them.

"How does he go from over-zealous protectiveness to 'don't worry about it, I'm sure she's fine' that quickly?" Scott wondered aloud as he and Jean were summarily dismissed from the President's temporary office at the Embassy.

"If he's not worried about her, I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over it," Jean replied. She was relieved that they weren't being officially disciplined for essentially botching their assignment. Babysitting Marie was degrading enough; having a black mark on her employee record would've been adding insult to injury.

Even though the ruby quartz lenses of his special glasses always shielded his eyes, she never needed to see them to know what he was thinking. So when he wrinkled his brow and pursed his lips – as he usually did when he was contemplating something, she continued, "Stop over-thinking it."

"You don't find it weird that he isn't worried she's out there with some stranger?" he asked.

"Yes, I think it's a bit odd. But I'm just going to do my job and not second-guess my boss. You should try it."

Meanwhile, Marie was in a tavern in Prague 5's Central Quarter of Smichov – getting thoroughly drunk courtesy of her knight in beat-up leather.

She stood up, raised her glass and yelled in salute to the agent who'd carelessly let her slip through his fingers -"To 'Butterfingers Summers'!" and then downed her latest shot of vodka.

When she went to sit back down on the barstool and missed, winding up on the floor, Logan reached down, hoisted her back up onto her feet and said, "Okay, you're done."

"You're a party poo … poopie," she slurred and attempted to signal the bartender for another shot.

"Let's go," Logan insisted as he gently wrapped his hand around her upper arm and started to steer her out of the bar.

"Buh-bye," Marie told the other patrons who ignored her and continued drinking.

"Well, they were no fun," she said once they were outside – and poking him the chest with her finger, added, "And neither are you, by the way."

"Can I drop you off somewhere? Home? An AA meeting?"

Marie dropped to the curb and started laughing. Then she made a gagging noise, leaned over and threw up. Luckily Logan's quick reflexes allowed him to jump out of the way and avoid having his boots splattered.

"Sorry," she offered weakly.

"It's okay. You missed," he replied – fighting the urge to laugh. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a roll of mints which he handed over to her.

"Thanks," she said as she gratefully popped one into her mouth.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

Marie nodded in the affirmative – even though it wasn't completely true. She still felt nauseous and slightly dizzy. Why had she indulged in the really hard, rock-gut stuff instead of something less toxic? Being defiant suddenly seemed a lot less appealing. She just hoped that Logan would take her back to the Embassy like he'd offered, because crawling all the way back would be really humilating.

Extending his hand out to her, he said, "Come on, your highness – let's get you home."

Marie placed her hand in his and let him pull her up. Even though she was well beyond tipsy, she did have the cognizance to notice that something important was missing. The motorcycle wasn't where they'd left it.

"Where's your bike?"

Turning to the now empty spot by the curb and then glancing up at the sign attached to the street lamp, Logan recognized the international sign for 'no parking'. His bike had been towed away.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

"This is not my fault," Marie pointed out.

He knew there was no way he was going to be able to reclaim the bike until the next morning, so with a resigned sigh he instructed, "Start walking."

"Not in these heels, buster," she said as she tried to lift her foot up to show him her sparkly Louboutins – but just succeeded in wobbling and pitching towards him.

"Take them off," he suggested as he caught her in his arms.

"The ground is dirty," Marie complained as she straightened up and pushed away from him.

"If you want blisters … suit yourself," he replied and started walking down the street.

Marie relunctantly took her shoes off and moved to catch up to him.

"This is so gross," she complained as she gingerly tip-toed to avoid bits of trash.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Logan asked.

Apparently she hadn't caught the sarcasm in his voice because she responded, "Would you?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head.

Marie let out a sad sigh. One and a half blocks and a handful more pitiful sounds later Logan swept her up in his arms.

"Thank you," she whispered softly as she nestled herself against his broad chest.

"I'm finding a 24-hour convenience store and buying you a pair of flip-flops – 'cause I ain't carrying you all night," he warned playfully.

Marie just smiled and pressed her face into the side of his neck – comforted by the heat of his skin and the smell of the battered leather jacket. She didn't notice, but Logan was smiling as well.


	4. Date Night And The Morning After

Chapter Four: Date Night And The Morning After

Logan didn't seem to recognize that Marie was the President's daughter. She assumed he wasn't overly familiar with the 'Who's Who' section in the society pages of the Washington Post, and apparently he didn't read the tabloids either.

She'd intended to part ways with him when they got closer to their destination, but had accidentally slipped and said the American Embassy when he'd asked her where they were heading. She quickly covered the mistake and told him that she worked there as a housemaid. He appeared to buy the explanation and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Her father's warning about opportunists looking to sell stories to the gossip sites was ringing in her ears – and she didn't want to give him any excuse to increase the security around her even more. If she wanted to keep her real identity a secret from Logan, she'd have to be a lot more careful.

Even though she wasn't particularly well versed with Prague, she would've recognized the area immediately surrounding the Embassy – and after walking for an hour nothing looked familiar. Another half an hour passed and it seemed as if they were going in circles instead of making any progress. They'd never found anywhere to buy her more comfortable shoes, so Logan was still carrying her. He claimed he had no idea where the Embassy was located, but by this point it was obvious that they'd walked in the wrong direction. They were now hopelessly lost.

However, they did come across a park that was filled with people watching an outdoor screening of Breakfast At Tiffany's.

"Isn't her character basically a hooker?" Logan noted as they found a small space in the crowd and sat down on the grass.

"What if I've never seen this film? You should've said 'spoiler alert'," Marie joked as she gave him a playful punch on the arm.

Someone passed them a little bag of popcorn and any further conversation about the plot being ruined was quickly forgotten. By the point in the movie when Holly Golightly was planning on marrying Rusty Trawler, Logan had fallen asleep. Marie woke him up in time for him to catch the end with Holly, Paul and Cat.

Apparently, it was Audrey Hepburn evening at the outdoors amphitheatre because the next film to start playing was Roman Holiday. This time it was Marie who fell asleep during the show. Except Logan chose not to wake her. Instead he covered her with his leather jacket, then lay down and went to sleep next to her.

The next morning she was still asleep while Logan was on his cell phone – speaking in a hushed tone. He abruptly ended the call when he noticed her beginning to stir.

"Morning," he said casually as he slipped his phone into his jeans pocket.

"Morning," she mumbled sleepily as she sat up and stretched. Looking around, she saw that a few other movie buffs had chosen to stay in the park and spend the night under the stars.

"Who were you talking to just now?" she asked curiously – wondering if he had someone that he should've gone home to last night.

"Just a friend," he replied somewhat cryptically.

As it was apparent that he wasn't going to volunteer any information about his mystery phone call, she decided to press for more details. "Is she cute?"

"He," Logan clarified. "And some people might think so, but I'm not one of them," he added with a smirk.

"Well, that's good to know," she replied with coy smile. Good – he was straight. That answered that particular question. Although she did wonder why he hadn't at least attempted to cop a feel during either movie.

"Do you need to call someone?" he asked as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it out to her.

Glancing around she saw a café a few hundred yards away and a payphone by the entrance. Not wanting her father to know whom she was with, she told Logan that she'd prefer to use the public phone.

"Okay, it's your quarter," he said with a shrug and put the phone back into his pocket.

They walked over to the café and while Logan was inside buying them some coffee and pastries, Marie called the Embassy.

"I'm fine, daddy," she told her father – who didn't sound nearly as frantic as she'd been anticipating.

However, when he insisted that she reveal her location so he could send Scott and Jean to collect her, that's when she informed him that she wasn't returning to the Embassy.

"Marie, stop this childishness – right now," Erik demanded – finally starting to get noticeably annoyed.

"I'll be fine – and I'll see you and mom in a few days," she said and then abruptly hung up.

Next she called Kitty and informed her friend that she planned to go to the Love Parade in Berlin. She then gave her a list of things she wanted thrown into a duffel bag. Kitty asked her if she wanted her cell phone back – Marie having given it to her when she jumped onto Logan's bike the previous night.

"No," Marie told her, "It's got a GPS in it – and I don't want my father or the Secret Service to be able to track me."

They arranged to meet at the Praha Hlavni Nadrazi train station in an hour.

"Well, I'm not getting my bike back anytime soon," Logan informed her as she joined him at the café.

"Why not?"

"The registration has expired and there's a 1,000 Euro fine … which I don't have," he explained.

Marie could've easily covered the fine with her credit card, but she didn't want to have to explain why she had access to that kind of money – plus she didn't want to leave an electronic paper trail that her father could use to locate her. As far as Logan knew she was just a poor college student spending the summer working in Europe who had the next few days off. So instead she just rummaged around in her purse and produced a reasonable amount of Euros and asked if he wanted to join her pilgrimage to the Love Parade.

"Sure," he replied casually. So that answered her lingering question about his current relationship status – nobody was waiting at home for him.

An hour later they met Kitty outside the train station. Luckily she caught on quickly when Marie introduced her as another housemaid at the Embassy and played along.

When Logan excused himself to go and get a newspaper, the girls headed into the ladies' room so that Marie could clean up and change into more casual clothes. Kitty used the opportunity to express her opinion about the situation.

"Okay, that man is smoking hot," she started to say – and Marie could already hear the 'but' coming. "But, are you crazy? He could be a serial killer."

"He didn't strangle me in my sleep last night, so I think I'll be alright," Marie replied confidently. It was true – she knew nothing about her traveling companion, but instinctively she felt that he could be trusted.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Kitty said as they walked toward the newsstand by the main entrance. "Call me every day."

"I will. I promise," Marie replied and hugged her friend. "I'll see you in a few days in Berlin."

"Guard her with your life," Kitty instructed Logan as she climbed back onto her scooter.

"I don't need a bodyguard," Marie threw out as she furrowed her brow and glared at her friend.

Kitty realized that she probably shouldn't say any more, so she just mumbled, "Sorry." Then waved and drove off.

"I don't need a bodyguard," Marie repeated to Logan.

"How about we just watch out for each other?" he offered as a compromise.

"Okay, that works," she replied – satisfied that the subject wasn't going to be debated any further.

"But I gotta warn you," he told her with a smile, "I tend to get into trouble rather easily."

"Shocker," she answered playfully – returning the smile.

They headed into the train station. Her European adventure was about to start – and thankfully, without a Secret Service agent anywhere in sight.


	5. That's Amore

Chapter Five: That's Amore

Onboard the train Logan and Marie met a young man who introduced himself as Bobby Drake. He told them he was on the road with nothing more than his backpack and few Euros. As she'd been raised in an upper-class household and led a fairly regimented lifestyle – even more so since her father had been elected President – Marie had never actually met people who were free spirits like Bobby and Logan.

Bobby reached into his bag and handed her a sticker of a smiley face. "I've been posting these in random places and giving them to others to do the same thing," he explained. "So whenever you see one, you'll think of the person who gave it to you – and hopefully smile."

"Ah, that's so sweet," she said as she accepted the sticker from him, and then to Logan she asked in affirmation, "Isn't that sweet?"

"It is," he agreed. Then with faux enthusiasm he added, "I think I just got a cavity, that was so sweet."

Marie mouthed, "Be nice." – which earned her a nonchalant shrug from him.

Bobby didn't seem too offended, so she let it go. When Logan left to get himself a beer from the bar, the younger man slid into his vacated seat. He then proceeded to enthrall Marie with stories about his adventures throughout Europe.

A little while later Logan returned with a beer and in an off-handed way that didn't sound panicked at all, announced, "We got on the wrong train."

"WHAT?"

"You mean you didn't wanna go to Venice?" Bobby asked.

"No!"

Logan just shrugged.

A couple of hours later, the train rolled into the city on the water and Bobby bid them goodbye. It was only a few minutes after he'd disappeared into the crowd that Marie discovered he'd lifted her wallet. Not only was all her cash gone, but even if she'd wanted to risk using it, she didn't have her credit card either. But at least she no longer had to pretend she was broke. Logan couldn't contain his laughter as she raged about her new friend who'd turned out to be a common thief.

"Keep laughing, but now we have no money," she reminded him.

"I have a few shekels," he told her as he fished around in his jeans pocket and pulled out a handful of coins.

Marie inspected the small pile and declared, "Awesome. We can split a cup of coffee."

"Ingrate."

"Come on, Logan, be serious. What are we going to do?"

"I could pimp you out," he offered. "You've gotta be worth enough to get us a room for the night."

"Oh ha ha … you're so funny," she replied and then added, "I'd suggest you do it, but I doubt you could even earn enough for a one-star flea pit."

"Ooh … harsh!" he said in mock indignation.

Just then a gondola glided up next to them. "Romantic ride for you and your lovely lady?" the gondolier inquired.

"Sorry, we have no money," Marie informed him.

"We just got robbed," Logan said – and then wistfully added, "And on our honeymoon, too."

Marie threw him a puzzled look.

"Mama mia," the man replied – and then taking pity on the young couple, he told them, "No charge."

"Come on, honey," Logan said as he steered Marie into the narrow boat.

While floating down the Grand Canal, Logan spun an elaborate tale about them being newlyweds that had eloped and were now on a backpacking honeymoon around Europe when they were cruelly robbed. Marie added to the story when she fearfully wondered where they were going to spend the night – until they could get someone to wire them some additional funds in the morning. Their woeful act worked because the man offered to let them stay at his place.

Lorenzo's wife Sophia was delighted to play hostess for the young couple and served a sumptuous dinner of fettuccini alfredo with pieces of roasted chicken, Caesar salad and of course, wine.

During the small feast, Sophia asked Logan and Marie questions that both of them managed to handle quite deftly. When she brought out the dessert – homemade gelato – Lorenzo rewarded her with a kiss, which garnered a small sigh from Marie.

"Go ahead – don't be shy," he told Logan. "Kiss your wife."

Logan leaned over and gave Marie a chaste kiss on the cheek, which didn't satisfy their host.

"Buon Dio!" Lorenzo exclaimed. "Like you mean it."

Marie cast her eyes down; unsure of how Logan was going to react to the challenge that had been presented. He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up, then leaned toward her and gently pressed his lips against hers. The pads of his fingers moved up to caress her cheek as his other hand pulled her head even closer to him – creating a tighter bond of their mouths. Marie put her hands on his chest and ran her fingertips over the pectoral muscles she'd been admiring since the moment in the park when he'd taken off his jacket to reveal the clinging white t-shirt beneath.

"Molto meglio," Sophia responded in delight and gave her husband a knowing wink.

When Logan and Marie finally broke the kiss, they both reached for their wine glasses and drained them quickly. By the time they were ensconced in the cozy little guest room, Marie was quite tipsy.

Logan offered to sleep on the chair in the corner and let her have the bed.

As she was stripping off, he politely turned away – which, after their heated kiss, puzzled her.

"Okay to turn around?" he asked.

"Uh huh," she replied.

When he rotated back to face her, a very nude Marie greeted him.

"Whoa!" he said as he quickly averted his gaze. Then with his eyes still cast down at the floor, he reached for a blanket that was on the chair and tossed it in her general direction. "Cover yourself, for God's sake."

Now she was even more confused. Despite the intensity of the kiss, maybe he wasn't straight after all. But even if he was gay, he shouldn't have had such an overly dramatic reaction to a naked woman.

Wrapping herself in the blanket, in a voice that betrayed how hurt she was, she quietly said, "I didn't mean to offend you."

Logan raised his eyes, paused for a moment and carefully measured his response. "I think you're absolutely gorgeous. And I'll probably be kicking myself in the morning for not jumping you when I had the chance … but I'm trying to be a gentleman – and you're not making it easy."

That seemed to appease Marie and she smiled.

"We okay?" he asked cautiously as he rummaged around in his bag and pulled out another white t-shirt that he handed to her.

She just nodded in response, accepted the shirt and then gestured for him to turn around again so that she could put it on. Then she walked over the bed and scooted under the covers. As he dropped down into the chair, she said, "We can share the bed … and I promise – no funny business."

Logan swallowed hard and hesitated momentarily before accepting the gesture. As he lay down on his side of the bed, he jokingly warned, "You'd better behavior yourself because I don't want to have to explain to Lorenzo and Sophia why a supposedly married man is crying rape."

Marie just gave him a sharp kick and turned out the light.


	6. Taking The Plunge

Author's note: Sorry this took so long to update- but I have a good excuse. After many requests to include a detailed love scene, I decided to go ahead and write one. I hope you'll think it was worth the wait. Please review and let me know. Thanks.

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Chapter Six: Taking The Plunge

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, Logan and Marie bid farewell to Sophia and accepted Lorenzo's offer to drive them to the Austrian border – claiming friends were going to meet them in a village just on the other side. Once Lorenzo had waved good-bye and driven off Marie lamented about how bad she felt that they'd lied to such a lovely couple. Logan reassured her that as long as lying didn't start coming too easily for her, she'd probably be fine – and not burn in Hell.

As they made their way toward the village, Logan made a comment that Marie took offense to and in a huff she walked ahead of him. When a flatbed truck loaded with straw stopped next to her and the driver offered her a ride, she jumped into the cab and waved to Logan as the truck pulled away.

He futilely chased after it for a few moments and then cursed, as the truck became a speck in the distance.

An hour later he came to a bridge high over a gorge where a group of thrill-seekers were bungee jumping off the side. He started sprinting toward the group when he saw that Marie was getting strapped into a harness.

She was being helped onto the narrow beam by the time he made it over to her. "What … the … hell… do … you … think … you're … doing?" he managed to squeeze out as he caught his breath.

"Having fun with John," she replied with a wink to the young man who'd hoisted her up onto the ledge.

Introducing himself, he said, "John Allerdyce, but everyone calls me Pyro."

Ignoring him, Logan responded, "I think you've had enough fun for one day." Then he reached over and attempted to haul her down.

Marie pulled away from him and almost pitched over the side. Logan threw himself at her, grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back down onto the safer surface of the road.

"Killjoy."

"Forget joy – you're the one who's gonna get killed if you're not more careful," he said as he maintained his firm grip on her.

"I'm okay," she said as she wriggled out of his grasp, and then reminded him, "I told you, I don't need a bodyguard."

Motioning toward the ravine, Logan replied, "I beg to differ."

"Fine – then jump with me," she suggested as she fixed him with an 'I dare you' look.

Logan peered over the edge and estimated that it was at least a ten-story drop. Never one to back down from a challenge, he turned to John and told him, "Hook me up."

"We have another Death Seeker," John announced to the gathered crowd, which made Logan even more worried – not for him, but for Marie. He didn't know anything about this group and whether or not they were truly qualified to do this. If something went wrong, he'd heal but Marie wouldn't. His apprehension still didn't fade even after he was strapped into the harness and a quick assessment of the equipment indicated that everything was in good order.

Marie was bouncing on her toes and anxious to jump so he gave up on trying to talk her out of it at the last minute.

They climbed back onto the ledge and both of them glanced down into the canyon below. A slight look of panic crossed Marie's face as she finally realized what she was about to do. But Logan decided she wasn't going to back out at this point and with a grin he wrapped his arms around her, leaned forward slightly and tumbled them off the edge. For a moment there was no sound as they were freefalling toward the river beneath them – and then Marie let out a scream as they were within inches of the water's surface when the bungee cord yanked them back up. They bounced a few times and then were swinging back and forth like a pendulum.

"Fucking awesome!" Logan yelled – which echoed through the canyon.

Marie looked like she was having a hard time catching her breath so she just gave him a weak smile. Then she leaned closer and gave him a light peck on the lips. Logan accepted this new challenge and kissed her back – only firmer. The kiss deepened and became even more heated than the one they'd shared to appease Lorenzo and Sophia. They were so wrapped up in each other they failed to notice the rescue boat that had come to release them from the jumping harnesses.

Although neither of them wanted to jump a second time, they did accept John's offer to spend the night camping by the river's shore.

After they'd staked out their little patch of ground Logan got up and walked toward the forest. Just before he disappeared into the tree line, Marie noticed that he'd pulled out his cell phone. The last time she'd caught him on the phone, he'd claimed that he was talking to a friend … a male friend. But she wondered if he was using this opportunity to call a girlfriend he didn't want to tell her about. The man was an enigma wrapped in a puzzle.

She didn't have too much time to contemplate whom he was mysteriously calling because John came over, pulled her up off the ground and led her over to the fire – where he handed her a nicely chilled bottle of beer. She was already feeling the effects of the strong European brew by the time Logan returned to the campsite a few moments later. He wasn't too happy to see John hanging all over her – blatantly attempting to touch her inappropriately. Unsure of whether it was merely protectiveness or simply possessiveness, he stomped over to them, reached down, put his arm around Marie's waist and pulled her up toward him.

Apparently not appreciating the caveman gesture, she snapped, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Stunned by her response, Logan released his hold on her and took a step back.

Enunciating each word deliberately, she reminded him yet again, "I. Don't. Need. A. Bodyguard."

As he wasn't even sure himself if he was reacting to the scene as a concerned self-appointed bodyguard or a jealous potential suitor, for the first time in quite a while Logan was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, down boy," John said with a smirk that Logan wanted to wipe off his face with a sharp right hook.

Instead of letting the situation escalate into an all-out brawl, he retreated back to their sleeping area further down the shore. He lit a cigar and stared out over the dark river. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear Marie's giggling which he tried desperately to ignore.

He was about to drift off to sleep, the burning ember of his cigar glowing hotly and about to drop onto a small pile of dry leaves, when he heard her voice. "Do you wanna set the whole forest on fire?" she asked as she took the stogie from him and ground it out in the dirt.

"Huh?" was all he could manage as he sleepily looked up at her.

"Shove over," she commanded as she lay down next to him, then lifted his arm and snuggled against his side.

"What happened to your date?" he inquired teasingly as he buried his face into her hair and inhaled the soft coconut scent.

"He's not you," she replied quietly – which made him smile.

He put his hand under her chin and tipped her face up toward his so that he could kiss her.

They made out for a while - kissing and exploring each other. Then Logan found 'the' spot on Marie's neck and she was actually starting to feel woozy from the sensation of the feathery touches of his warm lips. Kissing his way down her throat and onto her chest, he began unbuttoning her white cotton sweater. When the last button had been released from its hole, he slowly spread the soft fabric apart to reveal the pale pink bra underneath.

Popping the front-closing clasp open, he pushed the silky material apart, exposing perfectly shaped and sized breasts with the most delectable looking pink-brown nipples he'd ever seen. She was sheer perfection.

Leaning down, he flicked his tongue over one perfect little pebble and marveled at how it peaked at the brief touch. So he proceeded to do the same to the other one. When Marie started tugging at the bottom of his white t-shirt, he took the hint and pulled it off, letting her run her hands over his bare chest. Divesting her of her jeans, panties and the disarrayed sweater and bra, then himself of his jeans and briefs – they were now both completely naked. Marie reached out and stroked his hard cock with curiosity.

"I've never seen one before … in person. Wow," she stated in appreciation.

"I'll be real gentle," Logan promised, as he pushed her back down onto the ground.

"I…I trust you."

Suddenly he thought of something. "Damn it. I don't have a condom. Shit."

"It's okay. I'm on the pill," she told him reassuringly. Even if her father didn't know about it, her mother had made certain that Marie was prepared for life at college surrounded by horny frat boys.

Logan hesitated momentarily and then asked, "Are you really sure you're ready to do this?" As most of the women he'd been with had been picked up in bars and therefore their consent was more than just implied, he'd never particularly worried about being turned down. But Marie was different, so he wanted to give her an opportunity to back out.

Reaching up and running her hand through his hair, she said, "I'm positive."

"Good," he admitted with relief, "Because I've been wanting to ravish you since we spent the night at the park."

"Really?" she replied happily, and then boldly added, "Well, now you finally have the opportunity."

They continued in full foreplay mode, kissing and touching – exploring every inch of each other with their hands and lips. Logan gave Marie an intense orgasm when his mouth found its way between her legs.

Finally, spreading her thighs and settling himself between them, he checked one last time to make certain she was comfortable with what they were about to do.

When she responded by latching onto his mouth with her succulent lips for a searing kiss, he placed the head of his cock in her, pushing in a little with each gentle move forward. Marie locked her ankles around his hips, while lifting her own hips slightly. She was so wet, that he was sliding in easier than he thought he would. He kissed her hard as he pushed in a little further. Then he gave another strong thrust and was sheathed in her to the hilt, which made her gasp. Logan paused, but she urged him on by running her hands down his back and over his taut ass. When she started rotating her hips beneath him, he began a slow and steady thrusting rhythm that she soon matched. With her arms now around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, she writhed beneath him as he continued exploring her body with his hands, while his mouth lavished her neck with heated kisses.

"Oh, Logan," she moaned softly as her body trembled from his expert touch.

"Marie," he murmured right back as he worshipped every inch of her.

It wasn't long before Logan was on the brink of orgasm, but he wanted to make sure that Marie experienced one as well – so he held back, trying to maintain control as he edged her toward the abyss. When he felt her entire body quiver in anticipation, he knew she was close and moments later they climaxed almost simultaneously – crying each other's names as they peaked.

They collapsed bonelessly against each other, both shattered but ecstatic.

"I just knew you would be an amazing lover," she whispered against his ear.

"You're pretty amazing yourself, you know," he responded, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She sighed contently, snuggled against him and fell asleep. Logan watched her for a while before drifting off himself.


	7. The Truth Explodes

Chasing The Rogue

Chapter Seven: The Truth Explodes

When Marie woke up the next morning the spot next to her under the blanket was noticeably vacant. She glanced around in a slight panic and was relieved to see that Logan was sitting at the edge of the river – staring out over the water. He looked pensive and she wondered if he was thinking about last night and more importantly, if he was regretting it. She didn't, so she hoped he didn't either.

Not knowing what to say – and "Hey, lover" seemed too crass, too familiar and just too much – she settled on clearing her throat and hoping he'd somehow manage to hear it. Of course his enhanced hearing picked up the sound and he turned toward her. She couldn't decipher his mood, which worried her. He gave her a small, closed-mouth smile, which did nothing to help quell her fear.

She inhaled sharply and held her breath as he rose up and started walking toward her. Should she apologize? It wasn't as though she'd taken advantage of him or vice versa. They were two consenting adults – one who'd been adult for a while and the other, although only just of age – still legal nonetheless. The knot in her stomach tightened as he approached her.

"Marie …" he started to say, but she cut him off – thinking that she already knew what he was about to tell her.

"Please don't say that it shouldn't have happened," she said – almost pleadingly. She didn't want him to view their making love as a mistake. If he did, it would crush her.

"I was about to tell you that I wish I hadn't resisted you back at Lorenzo and Sophia's," he told her gently as he bent down and brushed a strand of hair off of her face.

Marie's eyes filled with tears as she took his hand and pressed a kiss into the palm.

John gave Logan and Marie a ride to the border village of Zamask where they'd be able to get transportation to Germany. He'd gotten his fellow jumpers to donate a few Euros each, so now they had enough money to buy two bus tickets to Berlin.

Though they'd been traveling together for a couple of days and had even made love, Marie realized that she didn't really know anything about Logan. She decided to rectify that by engaging him in a game of 'This Is My Life' – where they'd exchange life stories. Of course she was going to be careful and not give him too many specifics, which would expose her true identity – she just didn't realize that he was holding back as well.

"Last year my brother was killed in a car crash, so now my parents are kind of overprotective with me," she told him. That piece of information was the truth. She didn't elaborate and tell Logan that Kirk had been riding in the Presidential limo that was being chased by paparazzi. It was winter in DC and the car skidded on a patch of black ice, careened out of control, crashed through the guardrail of a bridge and plunged into the Potomac River. Of the four passengers, the only survivor was one of the Secret Service agents. Kirk, the driver and the other agent all perished. No formal charges were ever filed against anyone involved, but the agent blamed himself for the tragedy and left the service.

After Logan offered his condolences, he told Marie why he was adrift and on the road.

"I worked for this big corporation and there was an accident on the job. Pending a formal investigation, I was suspended. I'd already blamed myself for letting the situation get out of control, so instead of waiting for a committee to decide my fate, I quit and hit the road. I've been working at temporary jobs – mostly construction - to earn a few bucks here and there. Got bored in the US, so decided to try Europe for a while."

"Do you like that kind of lifestyle?" Marie asked curiously. She'd never contemplated just going wherever she wanted – not that she ever could. Compared to Logan, she was a bird in a gilded cage.

"I did at first," he replied – then added wistfully, "But lately it's become a little lonely."

Marie understood what he meant because even though she was constantly surrounded by people, she often felt alone. She put her hand over his and gently rubbed it reassuringly.

"Have you thought about going home and getting a conventional job again?"

"About a week ago I got a call from my old boss. They've concluded their inquiry and I've officially been cleared – so they want me back. I just don't know if I can."

"I'm sure that ultimately you'll make the right decision," she said confidently.

"Well, you have more faith in me than I do," he replied sadly.

"Oh, Logan," she murmured before leaning over and tenderly kissing him.

They arrived in Berlin to find the Love Parade had already begun. Marie realized that trying to find Kitty amidst the massive crowd was probably going to be impossible unless she could find a landmark spot to meet. Once again refusing Logan's offer to let her use his cell phone, she went off to find a payphone instead.

She found a phone and dialed Kitty's cell. They arranged to meet by the Brandenburg Gate – which was less than a mile from Marie's current location. Even though Logan hadn't moved from where she'd left him, she still had a hard time finding him again.

She finally spotted him and pushed through the throng of people. He had his back to her and was on his phone as she approached.

"Rogue's fine. I'll deliver her to the extraction point within the next five minutes," he was telling whomever he was speaking to.

"What the hell is going on?" she shouted, which caused Logan to abruptly turn around and almost drop the phone. She'd obviously caught him off-guard having a conversation she was not supposed to overhear.

"I can explain," he started to say as he hung up and put the phone back into his pocket.

"Who are you?" she demanded – on the verge of tears.

"I'm Secret Service," he confessed.

"Damn you," she blurted out as she slapped him across his cheek before turning and running off.

Logan attempted to chase after her, but the crowd of people pushing and shoving their way down the boulevard kept blocking him.

"Marie!" he yelled, though it was futile – his voice drowned out by the noise of the festivities.

Marie was shoving her way through the crush of bodies, her vision blurred by tears. The mystery of his surreptitious calls had unfortunately been solved. He'd been working for her parents all along – spying on her and reporting back to them.

Her luck was about to go from bad to worse as a couple of American guys recognized her and started to harass her. Above her she heard the sound of a helicopter and looked up to see it had the official Presidential seal on its side. The Calvary had arrived. The crowd parted to allow it to land – and Marie saw Jean, followed closely by Scott – step out.

"Hey, can I ride in your steel coach, Princess?" one of the young men hassling her asked mockingly as he grabbed her around the waist.

Scott started running toward her, but Logan beat him there. He hauled the guy off of her and laid him out flat with a quick punch to his jaw. Then he scooped Marie up. Too stunned at being publicly mauled and conceding that she was going to be returned to her father, she didn't struggle as he walked toward the other two agents. Marching past Scott and ignoring Jean as well, he placed her into the helicopter himself.

"Thank you, Agent Howlett," Jean told him as she climbed back onboard – which he ignored and simply ambled away from them. Even though his general demeanor was enough to suggest that something was off, he was also projecting sufficiently for her to catch fragments of his thoughts. She debated on whether or not to mention anything to the President.

Once Scott was also inside and secured in his seat, the helicopter took off – leaving Logan behind. With conflicted feelings, Marie watched out the window until he was just a mere speck on the ground.

**Three months later ~**

Marie had settled into life at Princeton with relative ease. She was still constantly surrounded by Secret Service agents, but was resigned to dealing with them. Kitty had joined her at school, so at least she had a friend who understood the life of a child of a diplomat.

Now she was home for the holidays and helping to decorate the Christmas tree in the family's private quarters.

"I don't think I can lift you up to put the angel on the top," Erik told her almost wistfully – remembering all those years he'd hoisted his daughter up in his arms so that she could place Raven's family heirloom atop the tree.

"I'll always be your little girl," she told him as she kissed his cheek.

"Hot chocolate," Raven announced as she entered the room carrying a tray with three steaming mugs.

"Is ours spiked?" Erik asked hopefully.

"Of course," his wife replied with a smile.

"Nice example you two are setting … getting sloshed while doing something as innocent as decorating for the holidays," Marie joked.

Suddenly changing the subject – and the lighthearted mood, Erik said, "Marie, I need to talk to you about Logan." It was the first time his name had been mentioned since they'd returned from Europe. She hadn't wanted to hear their excuses for having her secretly guarded and she didn't wish to divulge just exactly how close she'd gotten to him – so she pretended not to be bothered when the whole issue was mercifully dropped.

"What about him?" she asked casually, trying not to sound too curious.

"As you're transferring to Cambridge next semester, I thought you should know that he's in London."

"Is he pretending to be Kate Middleton's friend while sneakily reporting back to the Queen?" she asked. Apparently her bitterness was not as suppressed as she'd thought and it was seeping through in her tone. Logan had dangerously overstepped his bounds by sleeping with her. She had an almost desperate yearning to believe it was because he'd really wanted her, which had given him the courage to toss protocol out the window – and not simply a ploy just to gain her trust. But then, when she recalled he could've taken advantage of her at Lorenzo and Sophia's - but he didn't - she was back to feeling conflicted and confused

Understanding that his daughter was still hurt – and not quite sure how to comfort her, Erik just said, "He didn't want to be reinstated as an agent and officially resigned. He's in England building houses for Habitat For Humanity."

"Oh," was all Marie could muster. Despite how it had ended, she knew deep down that he was the decent person she'd grown close to during their European adventure.

Erik didn't need Jean Grey's assistance to figure out that something had happened between his daughter and Logan. He was disappointed that Howlett decided not to resume his duties - because prior to the accident, he'd been one of their best agents. Even before the investigative commission had cleared him, Erik already knew that he'd tried valiantly to save Kirk. The limo had been outfitted in bulletproof glass and even an adamantium-covered fist couldn't break it. The vehicle that had been designed to protect life became a coffin for everyone inside as it sank beneath the ice. Logan's healing factor was the only thing that ultimately saved him. If his daughter had fallen for this honorable man, he knew she would always be in good hands.

**Epilogue ~**

Marie found herself in a field in Maidstone, Kent where a crew of men who seemed oblivious to the frigid weather was constructing a row of small modest homes.

The nearby pond was frozen over, but in an attempt to break the figurative ice, she said, "I was trying to get to the Love Parade in Berlin, but I think I made a wrong turn at Spain."

Putting down his hammer and turning to her, Logan replied, "Are you really, really late for last year's event or super early for this year's?"

"This year's. I just wanted to make sure I staked out a good spot along the route," she answered, "I sorta left the last one a lot earlier than I'd planned."

"Damn kidnappers," he replied – referring to their first encounter in Prague – a smile starting to crease his handsome features.

Marie returned the smile – even as tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes.

"Did you miss me?" he asked as he moved closer to her.

"Not really," she responded unconvincingly.

"I don't believe you," he whispered against her ear.

"Just shut up and kiss me," she ordered.

"Are they gonna shoot me if I do?" he inquired – gesturing toward Scott and Jean who were standing stiffly next to the car.

"Only one way to find out," Marie told him as she grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him toward her.

They melted into a passionate kiss.

**THE END**

Author's Note: This story is based on the general premise of the movie "Chasing Liberty" – starring Mandy Moore as Anna Foster and Matthew Goode as Ben Calder.

I didn't want to disclose that in my author's notes at the beginning because I wanted to keep Logan's true identity a secret from the readers – and that might have been compromised if someone was familiar with that movie's plot or got curious and decided to do some research. In that film, the audience was privy to Ben's real agenda – which I thought was a mistake by the scriptwriters. So I decided to withhold that revelation until the end of my story. If you hadn't already guessed the truth before then, I hope in retrospect, you'll realize that I sprinkled clues along the way. The Secret Service Agents that Scott & Jean portrayed figured quite prominently in the movie – eventually realizing that they were in love. But I didn't want to include them in the main narrative of this fic for two reasons ~ In the film they followed Anna & Ben throughout Europe, but in my story I couldn't find a way to explain how Scott & Jean always knew Marie's location without tipping my hand that they had 'inside info' and also because I wanted to focus on Logan & Marie's relationship. Thank you for reading my latest offering.


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